Rima Rapunzel With The Flu
by MagicWriterK
Summary: Rima's parents have left for the weekend, for a couples seminar, much to Rima's joy! But when she starts to feel faint and sore, and Amu and Yaya are away, who will she call upon? RIMAHIKO!
1. Happy morning, sick afternoon

**Me: So this fanfic is a Rimahiko! I just love Rimahiko and Kutau! Have I ever mentioned the time I ate more sugar than normal, and I went into a sugar rush Rimahiko style?**

**My Sister: Yeah, it was crazy. She doesn't normally eat more than one piece of candy a day, so it was unusual. **

**Me: Disclaimer, please! **

**Tadase: MagicWriterK does not own Shugo Chara! **

**Me: Where did you come from? You're not even in the story! **

* * *

Rima waved farewell until the train her parents had recently boarded began to fade into the distance. She was happy that they had decided to go to a seminar for married couples in order to bond, for her sake. She didn't really mind being alone for the next three days and two nights. It touched Rima's heart that Yaya and Amu had voluntarily come with her to bid Mr. And Mrs. Mashiro good-bye after she had taken then aside and told them what her parents had decided to do. Of course, both of them offered to have her sleep over their home, but she insisted she was fine in her own abode. Rima coughed.

"Bye-bye, Rima-tan!" Yaya called as she stood some feet away with Amu, waving.

Rima looked up. She has been so busy reminiscing she had not realized they had reached their departures point.

"Bye, Rima! Make sure to call us if you need anything!" Amu added.

Rima nodded, and coughed again. She would need some water when she got home.

Rima walked lost in thought on her way home. She was so out-of-it, she failed to notice the metal pail falling out of the window of a nearby dark, tall, cold building and falling straight at her tiny figure! At the last second, she looked up, and the liquid in the bucket dumped all over her fair golden hair, and her shoulders. Still in a daze, she looked at the building, then at the dented pail laying next to her on the ground. She absent-mindedly fingered a lock of her hair and held it up to eye level.

'I'll just wash it when I get home,' her hazy mind decided, and she continued to amble down, the street, and around the corner. She never heard the frantic shout from one of the building's highest floors.

"We lost the chemical tonic!"

Rima stumbled through her front door (she almost forgot to lock it, but she dropped her key, which made her remember), staggered up the stairs, into her bedroom, and flopped on to the toilet seat in her bathroom. She slowly grabbed a towel and turned on the faucet in the bath tub. Bit by bit, she rinsed her hair of the remains if the substance, and dried off her hair. She even used the blow drier, which she rarely ever did, unless she needed to dry off her hair quickly. Then she tottered to her bedroom, then flopped on her bed, her sluggish body giving in to the pulling grasp of sleep.

The first thing Rima noticed when she awoke was the bright sunlight streaming through her window.

'That's odd. I'm normally such a morning person,' Rima thought.

She pulled her body into a sitting position, then immediately fell back to the bed. The room spun, her head pounded, and all her joints and muscles ached.

'What...? What's going on?' Rima wondered.

She realized she was still in her clothes from yesterday, and climbed off her bed on to the floor, and across the room to her closet. Each move was agony, and she winced often. Finally, after what seemed to be hours, Rima reached her closet. She opened the bottom drawer from her position on the floor. She pulled out an old, tight purple t-shirt, and yellow sweat pants. Her black headband with its little black bow had fallen off her vanity, so she put that on too, to keep her golden bangs out of her eyes. She promptly proceeded to scoot on her stomach across the room (AGAIN) to her bed. But her limbs were starting to burn with just the mere effort of crawling to her closet and getting changed.

'I need help," Rima finally admitted to herself.

She normally detested asking for help, especially in a condition like this. But if it was Amu or Yaya, she wouldn't mind quite as much. She pulled her orange flip-phone out of the pocket of the clothes she had recently shed, which lay in a heap on the carpet. Rima was surprised to see she had two texts from Amu.

Message 1:Hey, Rima, I'd you're feeling up to it, want to go to the movies with us? Yaya and I wanted to see that new movie.

Message 2:I guess you can't make it, or your phone is dead, or you're still sleeping...well, we'll be in the movies for a while.

Rima couldn't believe her bad luck. Her two BFFs were busy, and she really needed some help. She scrolled her contacts list, searching for a light in the dark. She had the phone numbers of lots of 'servants'...but she wasn't so sure she wanted one of her crazy fanboys IN her HOUSE, let alone her room! There was a couple of girls from school...but they were more like acquaintances. Tadase was on the list, of course, but she wouldn't really feel RIGHT, having HIM come to her house to take care of her. And besides, that would be like betraying Amu, which she couldn't do, no matter what! And then...Nagihiko. Rima had mixed feelings about the guy (or was it gal..?). She didn't really DISLIKE him, but she wasn't too crazy about him either.

'Be honest with yourself!' a little voice in her mind chided.

'You need some help, and he's the best option!'

She sighed.

'Oh, alright. But just this once!' Rima said to herself, sighing inwardly.

She clicked the contact and hit [CALL].

Rrrrrrrppppp

Rrrrrrrpppp

Rrrrrpppp

The phone repeated, as Rima waited for Nagihiko to pick up.

'I guess he's not available,' she thought, inadvertently feeling disappointed.

She tossed her melancholy feelings away, and was about to end the futile call, when a voice called out from the phone.

"Rima-chan?"

Rima was so startled, she almost dropped her phone. Not that it would have had far to fall.

"Hello?" Rima croaked into the receiver.

'I sound terrible!' she thought.

"Rima-chan?! Are you okay?" Naghiko's alarmed voice inquired.

"Just fine. *cough* I haven't spoken or drunken anything since yesterday afternoon, is all," she assured him.

"That's not good. Rima-chan, are you sure you feel alright? You sound tired and weak," Nagi pressed.

"Yes, yes. I just wanted to ask y-" Rima began, but she broke down in a fit of coughing.

"Rima!" he shouted, not caring about being polite. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Rima simply stated, once the spasm had ended.

"It's not nothing! But what did you want to ask me?" Nagihiko declared firmly.

"Can you, um, uh, well, are you free today?" Rima stuttered.

Rima could almost hear the purple-haired boy smiling on the other end. As for why, well, she refused to entertain the notion.

"Of course. And what did you have in mind?" he replied, voice oozing with fake sweetness and expectancy.

"Shu-" Rima started to grumble, but she cut herself off with a sneeze.

"Do you need me to come over there?" Nagi asked, genuine concern in his silky voice.

"Mmm," Rima replied. "I-AAAAAAAAAAHHYAAAAAAAAA!" Rima shrieked.

* * *

"Rima?! RIMA-CHAN!" Nagihiko hollered, as the line went dead.

He stared in disbelief and horror at his cellphone, wondering what could have possibly happened. It briefly crossed his mind that Rima had called HIM and not Amu-chan or Yaya-chan, but he dismissed the thought, refusing to entertain the notion {sorry, I just love at phrase right now} while a fellow guardian was in need of help.

"Mother, I'm going to visit a friend!" Nagihiko cried, slipping on his tan leather jacket and his sneakers.

"Who?" inquired, but her son was already speeding out the front gate.

"...It must be a girl," she mused.

* * *

Rima stared breathlessly at the cause of her sudden scream.

Her hair.

Her hair had grown INSANELY long over night! It trailed behind her all the way back to her bed, and on to her pillow. On the other hand, her golden locks were even softer and glossier than before. But still: hair did not grow over three fold in just one night! It was crazy! Impossible! Absurd!

'I must be even sicker than I thought,' Rima moaned to herself. 'Hallucinating! I'm hallucinating!'

Rima craned her neck to get a better view of her wild hair from the floor. Frustrated, she used the closet as a support, and brought herself to standing position, with much difficulty.

'I'm..starting to feel a little...faint...' Rima realized.

She faintly heard a loud BANG from downstairs, and frantic thumps that rose in crescendo, coming closer by the second.

**"RIMA-CHAN!"** Nagihiko cried, throwing open her bedroom door.

"I..I wasn't sure you'd come..." Rima panted.

"Nagi..." she whispered, as dark spots clouded her vision, as if she were wearing glasses, and someone had thrown ink or thick black clouds on to them.

It was becoming harder to breath, and even harder to see. She felt herself slipping away, both literally and mentally. The last thing she saw was Nagihiko racing to catch her.

Then all was black.


	2. A flu, gag mangas, and fluff, oh my!

**Me: Sorry this took so long! My Internet crashed! :( As stated in my profile. **

**Rima: Couldn't you have fixed it sooner? I'm, like, dying over here, and the cross-dresser is ****_in my house! _****:(**

**Me: I said I was sorry!**

**Nagihiko: You're a hot mess right now, Rima-chan. ^_^ *smirk* **

**Rima: AND WHO'S FAULT DO TOU THINK THAT IS?!**

**Me: Owww...Rima-chan, that really hurt. +_+**

**Rima: I DON'T CARE! YOU MADE ME LOOK PATHETIC, AND ****_HE_**** IS IN MY HOUSE!**

**Me: No wondering my sister likes you and Utau so much...you're both so forceful, and slightly violent, yet cute, just like her. -_-**

**Utau&Rima&My Sister: POW!**

**Me: Oh, owwww...ugh...disclaimer please...it's my dying wish...**

**Ikuto: MagicWriterK does not own Shugo Chara... T_T**

**Me: WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! YOU'RE EVEN WORSE THAN TADASE! GET OUT! GO OUT WITH AMU OR WHATEVER! **

* * *

Rima's eyelids slowly fluttered open. Her vision was hazy, and she could faintly make out a purplish blob with a pale center. Her aching ears could hardly make out someone shouting something inaudible. But her 5 senses were sharpening by the second, and before long, she could make out a handsome face clouded with worry, hanging over her.

"...an" the voice was still inaudible.

"...chan" getting better. Was that 'chan' he just said?

"...ima-chan." Ima? Who's Ima?

"...ima-chan!" Wait, was he talking to her?

"Rima-chan!" Nagihiko exclaimed. Good, she could hear.

Rima rose a shaky hand to his cheek, and wiped away a tear.

"Man-up, Nagi," she whispered teasingly. "Men don't cry over nothing,"

"Rima-chan!" he cried joyfully, grabbing her pale and trembling hand in his own, and pulled her into his embrace. "I was so worried!"

Rima tried, but she couldn't conceal a small smile that managed to work it's way on to her lips.

Nagihiko abruptly pulled her away, and held her at arm's length, startling her.

"You have to take better care of yourself! You are terribly ill!" he scolded.

Rima couldn't help but see her father, how he used to be, in Nagi. Her father, gently scolding her for overworking herself and catching a cold. Then her mother would chime in, and it would end with Mr. and Mrs. Mashiro hugging their daughter as if they never intended to let go.

"What are you, my dad? I'm fine," Rima replied softly.

Nagi's eyebrows knitted in concern and disbelief.

"But...thanks for caring," she whispered, saying the words so quietly she herself could barely make them out.

"What was that?" Nagi inquired.

"I said who speaks like that anymore? 'Terribly ill' my nose. Just say 'you're sick'!" Rima declared loudly, flipping her golden hair.

Well, at least she tried. Her hair was still inhumanly long. In fact, it was even longer than before! A gasp escaped Rima's mouth before she could suppress it.

Nagihiko chuckled. "I know, I saw. But I get the feeling you already knew. Either way, lets deal with that later. Right now, your actual health is the top priority!" Nagi announced.

Holding up a thermometer, Nagi pointed to the temperature on the petite screen.

"See what this says? Your temperature is 40 degrees Celsius! {that's 104 degrees Fahrenheit, but in Japan they use Celsius} Do you realize how serious this is?" Nagihiko demanded.

Rima hung her head. She honestly felt sorry for worrying Nagi. She didn't want to cause trouble for the people around her. The boy sighed, and lifted her chin with his finger, forcing her to face him. Rima stared into his eyes, her amber eyes boring into his.

"All I'm asking is you take better care of yourself, ok? You have the flu," Nagihiko whispered.

Rima nodded. What else could she do? His gaze was filled with pure passion and worry, for _her_.

"Well, now that that's settled, can I ask what happened to your hair?" Nagi asked with a smile.

Rima shook her head.

"I honestly don't know. I just woke up, and it was...like this," Rima grumbled.

Nagi frowned.

"Did anything unusual happen yesterday morning?" he questioned.

Again, Rima shook her head.

"But then again, yesterday was a blur, so I could have missed something," she added thoughtfully.

"Well nevertheless, should we just cut it now?" Nagihiko asked.

"Make it even!" Rima commanded, with a stern glare.

"I will," Nagihiko laughed.

Nagi ran downstairs, leaving Rima alone in her room to think. When she replayed the recent events in her mind, she (for some reason unbeknownst to Rima) flushed even deeper. Rima held her hand to her cheek, wondering when the purple-headed cross-dresser had become so gentlemanly.

"Rima~!" Kusukusu cried, flying in through the open window. Something large (for a chara) was hidden behind her back.

"Kusukusu! Where have you been?" Rima scolded.

Kusukusu shuffled nervously, "I-I was...out pi-"

"Ah, Kusukusu. You're finally back," Nagi cut in from the doorway.

Kusukusu nodded.

"Where were you?" Rima pressed.

"I...uh...here!" Kusukusu stuttered, shoving a gag manga into Rima's pale hands.

Rima's eyes widened.

"This is the newest edition!" she hollered, although her sore throat made her adorable voice sound scratchy.

"Nagi asked me to pick it up for y-" Kusukusu began, but she was silenced by Nagi's hand covering her little mouth.

"T-that's unnecessary information!" he cried desperately.

Rima narrowed her eyes.

"Where did you get this?" she demanded.

"Uh...a friend gave it to me, but I thought...*ahem* I thought you would want it more...and besides, you were sick and all, and uh..." Nagihiko mumbled, his cheeks taking on a faint pink tint.

Kusukusu laughed her signature giggle, and Rima smiled warmly, and not from the fever.

"_Thankyou_!" she whispered, clutching the beloved manga to her chest, the sound of her beating heart coursing through it's pages.


	3. Something unexpected

**Me: I am soooo sorry I took so long! I've been planning this chapter since I wrote the first chapter, so ideas wasn't the problem. I was just so addicted to this certain amazing author, I couldn't stop reading! Plus, I had a stinking summer book report. **

**Rima: The bottom line is, you were lazy. On with the story. I want to see what's so unexpected. **

**Me: Hush, I need to make some more announcements to the lovely readers out there! **

**Rima: *grumbles***

**Me: First, a shout-out to all the people who cared enough to review so far! Thank you to...*drumroll please***

**xxX-Taiyo-to-Tsuki-Xxx-Thanks so much for being the first reviewer! **

**Guest-Thank you!**

**Pika-Thunder-I always appreciate long reviews! Your stories are fantastic themselves! **

**Nerdangel1600-That's actually my avatar pic on DeviantART! It's always nice o see a fellow nerd. **

**Me: Everyone gets this! *hands everyone a plastic bag with a lock of silky golden hair in it* This is the hair that kept growing on Rima's teeny head! The hair Nagi cut off for her! Her hair's back to normal, now. The stuff was only temporary. **

**Me: Another thing! I'll be away for a week starting tomorrow! I won't tell you where until I get back, for security reasons. Check my profile for more info! And now, for the final announcement! **

**Rima: Finally!**

**Me: I've been planning a Kutau story in my head for a while now, and I'm going to try to start writing it after I get back. **

**Nagihiko: Fight on, Kukai! **

**Me: And without further ado, I give you the third chapter of Rima Rapunzel With The Flu!**

**Rima: AHEM.**

**Me: I, MagicWriterK, do not, and never will, own Shugo Chara. Hey look at that, I did the disclaimer this time! **

**Rima: Hurrah for you. *rolls eyes***

**Me: Why are you so _sour _today? **

**Nagihiko: I know, right?**

**Rima: I'm going to strangle you both. -_-**

**Me: I think it's time to start the story... o.o**

* * *

After cutting Rima's hair, and fixing her chicken noodle soup, Nagihiko bid Rima good-bye, with the promise he would return the next day.

"Remember," he warned her "your flu is at it's best in the first part of the day, therefore you will feel worst at night. So don't hesitate to call me if you feel in need of help."

"Got it," Rima muttered, cranky because her joints ached (it was dinner time: hence it was late, and she wasn't feeling too good).

"Roger, Nagi-san!" Kusukusu shouted, raising her little hand to her forehead in salute.

"Yay!" Rhythm added, flashing them a wink and a thumbs up.

"Bye! Feel better, Rima-chan!" Nagihiko called, beginning to walk away from the bed.

"Er...Nagi, wait!" Rima cried, extending a hand from her bed to clutch the hem of his shirt.

"Eh?" Nagi asked, confused. "What is it Rima-chan?"

"D-don't...g-" Rima started to say, but she began to pant, and she stared at the floor.

"Mama...papa...don't fight...don't go...don't leave me...!" Rima gasped, sweat and tears mingling in their descent down her face. "I'm scared...don't leave me..." Rima whispered, before collapsing, and Nagi's arms once again terminating her fall.

* * *

When Rima awoke yet again, she found herself staring at the ceiling, and the sound of water being poured emanating from beside her bed. She slowly, ever so slowly, due to the the throbbing pain in her forehead, sat up. As she did, a damp cloth fell from her head, and on to her bed sheets.

"W-what happened?" she murmured, putting a hand to her forehead.

"Ah, Rima-chan. Put the damp cloth back in your head, we don't want your fever to spike again," Nagi ordered gently from where he was kneeling beside her bed.

He was dipping a second white cloth in a bowl of water, wringing it out, then repeating the process.

"Spike?" she echoed. "Did my fever spike?"

Nagihiko nodded.

"Do you remember what happened?" he gently queried.

"I..." Rima began, but she trailed off, as the memories came back in hazy patches.

Panting. Falling, in more ways than one.

"I remember. I remember I lost it, and looked pathetic," Rima murmured, hanging her head.

Nagi frowned.

"Flus can bring about fever-induced dreams, and or delusions, and can hinder ones ability to control ones emotions," Nagihiko informed her. "So don't feel badly."

"There goes Nagihiko Fujisaki the expert diagnosis," Rima muttered.

Nagi managed to give a tight smile.

"Hey, Nagihiko?" Rima inquired quietly.

"Hmm?" Nagi murmured, wringing out the towel again.

"Why do you care so much? About me, I mean. You could have just gave me some soup and left,"

Nagihiko looked up, surprise painted on his face. But he quickly suppressed it, and placed a small smile in it's place.

"Why do you think?" he questioned, turning his attention to the cloth.

"I dunno...cause you feel sorry for me?" Rima guessed, with a frown.

"Not at all. Guess again," Nagihiko commanded.

"I give up," Rima declared, frustration evident across her face, especially on her pouting lips.

Nagi turned to Rima and leaned in close, so close. Rima's cheeks turned red, but it had nothing to do with her fever.

"I care about you," he whispered into her ear.

A startled Rima backed up quickly, the blush deepening from light pink to deep pink.

"I-I-I...what?" Rima stuttered, losing her cool for the first time in a while (her fever-induced delusions don't count, because she wasn't in complete control over her emotions).

Nagihiko smiled, as if all he had just said was that he liked chocolate {I personally like vanilla and mint more}.

"I said I care about you. Is there a problem?" he inquired, his voice wavering a bit at the end.

"I...well...I...thank you," Rima whispered.

"No problem," Nagi replied, sounding slightly disappointed. "Is that it?"

Rima bit her lip. Was he implying that he...loved her? And more importantly: did she love him back?

"Er...Nagi, I..." she started, but she was cut off abruptly.

"It's okay," Nagi insisted, and promptly leaned forward and kissed Rima on her pick cheeks.

Paralyzed with surprise, Rima just sat there, allowing him to press his lips against her soft cheek.

"Bye," Nagihiko simply stated, and rushed out the door, gripping his coat tightly. Rhythm and Temari floated behind him.

"Wow Rima! What do you think of that?" Kusukusu cried, her tiny hand covering her petite mouth, which was opened wide,

"I-I..." Rima mumbled, unsure if how she felt.

The kiss wasn't anything major. Sometimes Kukai kissed Yaya, or even Amu, but it was sisterly love. Nevertheless, the inside of her head was one big jumble, with thoughts bouncing around at 100mph. Some part of her demanded she be angry with him, and he more rude and aloof than ever. Another suggested she act as if nothing ever happened, and chalk it up to hallucinations. But one little part, somewhere deep in her chest, asked her a deep and unnerving question.

'_Do_ _you_ _love_ _him_ _back?'_

"Of course I don't _hate_ him, since he,'s always been so nice to me. But do I really consider him as more than a friend?" she wondered, barely aware she was speaking out loud.

"I think you do," Kususkusu stated softly, but Rima could not hear her.

She was stuck in a plethora of swirling emotions.


End file.
